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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. C. BURTUN. RAILWAY TRACK AND GAR.

No. 518,565. Patented Apr. 17, 1894.

\ (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0.0.BURT0N- RAILWAY TRACK AND GAR.

N0.518',565. Patented Apr. 17, 1894.

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inafter described and STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. BURTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF A PART OFIHS RIGHT TO GEORGE M. LUD- LOW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, LOUIS E. HOLDEN, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, AND CURTIS G. HUSSEY, OF ALLEGIIENY, AND JOHN C. DES GRANGES,

on Prrrsunc, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY TRACK AND CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,565, dated April 17, 1894.

Application filed September 15, 1 892. Renewed August 18, 1893.

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. BURTON, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Tracks and Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompay nying drawings, and to the letters of reference No. L170,617, granted to me March 8, 1892.

The invention consists in the matters herepointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention: Figure l is a view in side elevation of one end of a railway car embodying the same, together with part of the track structure, the frontend of the car being shown partially in section. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l. view from beneath ofone of the contact wheels shown in Fig. l, together with the movable support therefor. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the car and track taken on line 4-4 of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the main supporting wheels of the car, showing the side plates thereof removed. Fig. 6 is a sectional view thereof, taken upon line c-e of Fig. 5.

The track structure illustrated, which is adapted for use in connection with the particular form of car shown, embraces two supporting rails A A, arranged in the usual manner and two bearing rails B B, of V-shape in cross-section, located above and somewhat outside (of the rails A A. The supporting and bearing rails described, are shown as sustained Fig.3 isa Again renewed March 12, 1894. Serial No. 503,374. (No model.)

pended between two similar end sections like that shown in said prior Patent No. 470,617. That is to say, said end section C is mounted upon main carrying wheels E E, which are attached to a shaft E and which run upon the supporting rails A A, and the central section D is pivoted to the end sections by means of pivots F F, one located at the top and one at the bottom of the car, as clearly seen in Fig. 1; there being no wheels under the central section of the car so that said central section is suspended between and carried by two end sections, like the section C shown in the drawings.`

G G indicate inclined guide wheels located at the bottom of the car adjacent to the sides thereof and extending beyond the sides of the car to engage the bearing rails B B. Said wheels G G are `located one pair in advance and one pair at the rear of a verticalline passing throughthe axis of the main supporting wheels E E, and the axis of rotation of said bearing wheels are outwardly and downwardly inclined so that the saidwheels are adapted to bear upwardly and outwardly against the said bearing rails; the wheels and rails being so constructed as to hold the car from both lateral and upward movement, or,

carin any preferred manner, the construction illustrated for supporting the wheels embracing short shafts G, mounted in bearings c c on the car, and to the outer ends of which the said wheels G Gr are attached.

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In a car such as that shown, wherein the section C is provided with one pair of supporting wheels E E only, the bearing wheels G not only guide the car so as to hold it from lateral deflection, but tend to maintain the said section C in a horizontal position, or, in other words, to prevent either end thereof from lifting by the swingingof the section on the axle E of the supporting wheels. Said bearing Wheels E E are preferably made of large size, their diameter being approximately equal to the height of the car, and in order to secure a strong and rigid construction in a supporting Wheel of this size, I employ the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. As shown in said figures, e is the rim and c the hub of lone of said wheels. These parts are connectedv by radial spokes e2, made of flat strips of metal arranged with their flat sides parallel with the central axis of the wheel or vat right angles tot-he face of the wheel and being wider at their inner than at their outer ends. These spokes are conveniently attached to the rim by having their outer ends bent at right angles and riveted or'bolte'd to the inner surface of the rim, while they are attached tol the hub at their'inner ends by being bolted to radial lugs on said hub, in the manner illustrated. The skeleton wheel thus formed by means of the rim, hub and connecting spokes, is completed' b y the addition of slightly conical plates or disks e3 c3 of sheet metaLwhich are bolted or riveted at their outer edges to the rim and provided with central apertures fittin g over the projecting parts of the hub. The disks 'e3 c3 consist of a pluralityof segmental plates which are secured together and to the wheel at their radial edges by means of flanges e4 e4 (Fig. 5) on certain of the spokes e2, to which flanges the margins of the segmental plates are riveted.

The car illustrated is intended more particularly for actuation by an electric motor, and -for the purpose of making electric connection between the track and car devices are provided as follows:

H H are electric conductors having the form of ,strips of metal mounted in strips or bars H of insulating material and located one at each side of the track between the supporting rails A A and bearing rails B B, and outside of the supporting rails. The strips H H may be supported in any suitable manner, depending on the character of the track structure, the means shown for-supporting them consisting of brackets h h, attached to the-uprights B B of the elevated structure. i I is a contact wheel arranged horizontally beneath the car body and adapted to bear against the inner edge of the conductor H.y Said contact wheel I as seen in Figs. 3 and 1l, is mounted on a short vertical shaft il, having bearings at its upper and lower ends in a sliding frame I', which is supported upon transversely arranged guides I2 I2, secured to the lower surface of the car, said guides being adapted to afford free inward and" outward movement in the frame I and the contact wheels carried thereby. The said contact wheel is held normally outward or pressed yieldingly against the conductor H by means of a spring or springs suitably applied to the frame I; the construction for this purpose herein shown consisting of two coiled springs I3 I3, surrounding guide rods t" t", which are secured in the frame I and pass through guide lugs i2 2 on the guides I`2 I2. Said guides I2 I2 are shown as formed upon a rectangular frame I4, which is secured to the bottorn of the car by means of integral depend= ings only one contact whe'el I', but it will of course be understood that two such wheels will be used, one upon each of the end sections G of the car.

For the purpose of enabling telegraphic or other messages to be transmitted to the car, I have provided at points between the supporting rails other conductors JJ, and placed upon the car a contact wheel K, adapted to bear thereon. The conductorsJJare shown as consisting of metal strips inserted in a continuous longitudinal bar J', of woodor other insulating material, laid lengthwise of the trackbetween the support-ing rails A A, the strips being arranged to project slightly beyond the opposite side faces of the said insulating strip so that the con-tact Wheel may easily act thereon. In the particular con- IOO struction illustrated,said strip J is shown as supported by means of 'metal brackets j, which are secured to the cross-pieces A A of the elevated track structure, but said strip may be otherwise supported when the track structure is otherwise made'. lThe contact wheel K is shown as attached to a short shaft la, mounted in a sliding frame K,which is adapted to slide on stationary guides K2 K2, in the same manneras hereinbefore described in connection with the main contact wheel I.

The section C of the car is shown as provided at its forward end with a-prolongation or prow, indicated as a wholeby L, having an inclined top surface extending from the upper partof the car downwardly to a point near the bot-tom thereof and forming under ordinary circumstances an inclined deflectingsurface adapted to `lessen the resistance to the forward movement ofthe carpccasioned by atmospheric pressure. .The forward end of said prow is preferably made somewhat narrower than the width of the car, as seen in Fig. 2, but this construction is not essentia Y The main part of the inclined top surface of the'prow L is formedby means of a plurality of transverserslats or blades M M M,

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tion of the air, which by its pressure on the said blades will greatly retard the forward movement of the car and thus constitute an atmospheric brake. To increase the eliiciency of the slats or blades the car is provided beneath the same with a continuous -wall or partition N, inclined to correspond with the top surface of the prow and located at such distance from the same that when the slats or blades are opened their inner or lower edges will be adjacent to or come in contact with the said wall or partition, thereby preventing the escape of the air caught by the blades downwardly between the same, or, in other words, forming with `the blades a plurality of pockets to catch the air and thereby enhance the efficiency of the device as an atmospheric brake. The partition N obviously forms in effect the upper wall or roof of the forward compartment of the car or that within the prow L. The said prow may be constructed in any suitable manner, but as herein shown is made 0f sheet metal supported on l an iron frame, the partition N being similarly which the said bar M is connected, said crankv disk beingactuated by means of a worm-shaft M3, adapted to engage spurs or teeth on the .l SO

crank-disk M2, and provided with a hand wheel m', by which it may be actuated.

l While l haveshown the pivoted slats MM constituting the atmospheric brake as located in the upper inclined surface only of the prow, yet it is obvious the same feature of construction may be applied also to the side walls of the prow in case additional resist-` ance surface is found necessary or desirable.

O O, Figs. 1 and 2, indicate vertical tubes passing from theupper part of the partition Ndownward to the bottom of the car and opening through the said partition and bottom of the car. The tubes thus arranged form an outlet at the upper end of the compartmentor pocket formed by the partition to allow the `escape therefrom of any snow which may accumulate in the pockets and thus prevent choking of the same.

The downwardly and forwardly inclined fiat surface of the prow L which, as before described, is made practically of the full width of the prow, not only serves to lessen resistance to the forward movement of the car, but the pressure of the air thereon acts to force downwardly the section C and thus` increase the adhesion of the driving wheels to the rails; the air pressure on the said inclined surface when the car` is in rapid movement thus having the same effect aswould a greater weight carriedon the driving wheels, t-o increase the pressure of the wheels on the rails and by securing greater frictional en gagement of the wheels with the rails, in-

crease the tractive power of the wh eels.

I claim as my inventiony l. The combination with a track having `supporting rails and external guide or bearing rails located above the same, of a car provided with supporting wheels and with guide wheels mounted on inclined axes and bearing upwardly and outwardly against the said bearing rails, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a car consisting of two end sections provided with supporting wheels and a middle section pivoted to and suspended between the end sections, of a track structure embracing supporting rails, and bearing rails located above and outside of the supporting rails, and guide wheels on the end sections of the car, arranged at front and rear of the supporting wheels and bean ing upwardly andoutwardly against the said bearing rails, substantially as described.

3. Thecombination with a track structure comprising supporting rails and bearing rails located outside of and above the supporting rails, said bearing rails being provided with vertical and horizontal flanges, of a car pro- IOO videdwith supporting wheels and with guide wheels mounted on inclined axes and provided with V-shaped rims adapted to extend into the angle formed by saidvertical and horizontal flanges of the said bearing rails, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a trackstructure embracing supporting rails, and bearing rails located above and outside of the same, of electric conductors extending along the rails between the bearing and supporting rails and above the latter, a car provided with supporting wheels and bearing wheels, and yieldingly supported contact wheels on the car, arranged to bear outwardly against the said conductorssubstantially as described.

5. rlhe combination with a track structure embracing supporting rails and bearing rails located above and outside of the same, of a conductor located between the supporting rails, a car provided with supporting wheels and with guide wheels acting upwardly and outwardly against the said bearing rails, anda contact wheel on the bottom of the car acting against said conductor, substantially as described. A

6. The combination with a car provided with a prow having an inclined surface, of a plurality of transversely arranged pivoted strips or slats, and means for actuating the same, substantially as described.

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7. The combination with a car having a prow provided with inclined surfaces, of a plurality of transversely arranged slats or blades pivoted to the said prow, and an inner v v yprow provided with inclined surfaces, of a vplurality of transversely arranged slats or wall or partition'v closing the spaces between the blades when th'e latter are open, substantiallyas' described. l

8. The combination with a car provide with a prow having an inclined surface, of a plurality of transversely arranged blad es pi votally connected with the prow, and means for actuating said blades comprising arms rigidly attached to the same, a rod connecting all of said blades with each other and means for giving endwise movement to the .said rod, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a'v car or motor, ot' a prow thereon having a wide downwardly and forwardly inclined top surface operating zo to delie'ct the air in the forward movement of the car and also to increase the pressure of the traction wheels of the car against' the rails, 'substantially as described.

y10. The combination with a car"Y having a blades pivoted to the prow, an inner wall or partition forv closing the spaces between the blades when the latter are open, and discharge tubes extending from said partition downwardly through the bottom of the car, substantially as described. y

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aftix mysignaturei-n presence of two witnesses.

V CHARLES C. BURTON.

Witnesses: g

C. CLARENCE POOLE, GEORGE W. HIGGINS, Jr. 

